“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves going into this game,” Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said this week. “But we’re playing a very tough team with a really good quarterback, really good offensive team, great offensive line, so it will be a big challenge for us.”

The Rams’ offseason moves were shocking in their boldness, but in hindsight, not surprising. During his 41 years in the NFL, Phillips’ defenses have thrived on strong pass rushers and cornerbacks.

So while the Rams severely (and indirectly) weakened their group of linebackers in order to acquire Suh, Peters and Talib, the thinking is clear. If the Rams terrorize the passer with front-middle pressure, and utilize ball-hawking cornerbacks, there’s far less of an emphasis on linebackers.

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Plus, perhaps these Rams linebackers are being underrated a bit.

Those who buy into the (reasonable) idea that Donald, Suh and Michael Brockers will be an unblockable trio up front also can do some math. Double teams often are going to be necessary, and the versatility of those three linemen means that the Rams can mix things up and make blocking schemes more difficult.

That should leave some room for the linebackers, even though that is the least-settled group on the team.

One outside linebacker, Matt Longacre, started only one game last season but recorded 5-1/2 sacks in a key reserve role. On the other side, Samson Ebukam had two sacks as a rookie backup in 2017. Their ability to play on the edge, alongside the up-front disruptors, shouldn’t be underestimated.

Moreover, concerns about chemistry seem to have dissipated. Donald and Suh, in short time, have settled in as two low-key locker-room personalities, neither of whom seems concerned about alpha-male status. Their lockers are next to each other at the Rams’ Thousand Oaks practice facility.

Two rows over, the cornerbacks turn every post-practice period into a party. At the start of training camp, Talib said he wasn’t concerned about being considered a team leader. Now he’s clearly the magnet of the defensive side of the locker room and Peters, in particular, seems to have taken to him as a mentor.

“We have a group that really likes football,” Phillips said. “Some players that I’ve been with, they played because they were good at it or whatever. This group, they like football, they like playing football. Some of them even like practicing, which is a little different. But especially football. I enjoy that about them.”

It all seems awesome, so what could go wrong? Well, some of the same things that went wrong in 2017.

Last season, the Rams’ defense allowed opponents an average of 6.8 yards per pass attempt, which was above average. The Rams struggled in run defense, as they allowed an average of 4.7 yards per rushing attempt, which was tied for second-worst in the NFL. They also allowed 15 rushing touchdowns.

So while last year’s defense, led by Donald, finished second in the NFL with 48 sacks, running backs often made it to the second level of the defense and sometimes got the better of the middle linebacker.

Now, the Rams almost certainly will be without their most experienced middle linebacker, Mark Barron, who is still recovering from Achilles surgery, and the other starter, Cory Littleton, has never started a game at middle linebacker. And while the linebackers in general are solid in pass rushing, their pass-coverage skills might be a bit shaky.

Maybe it won’t matter. There’s been a quiet confidence among the Rams’ defenders since Donald’s return, and perhaps that starts with Phillips. The Rams put their trust in him and revamped their defense in his image, and Phillips was in good humor this week.

“To be able to approach the game the way that he does, you can just feel he really loves it,” McVay said. “He’s got such a great way about himself with the way that he relates to players and it’s just Wade being himself. I think he’s one of those people that when you’re around Wade, you can’t help but be in a good mood.”

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.